News and Views                                                                                                                                

Splash Media TV have sent us an email about a new BBC series that they are producing. They hope will be of interest to people involved with our organisation.

The series will feature ten couples who would like the opportunity to change their lives forever and run a farm.  The programme will see the ten couples learn all the basics they need before decamping to a farm in the beautiful British countryside where they will be challenged in all areas of farm life, from animal husbandry to coping with the unpredictable summer weather.  The series will culminate in the winning pair getting the opportunity to live and work on their own small farm for a year.  

The program producers are looking for couples of all ages and relationships (married couples / siblings / friends) who are serious about wanting to change their lives and who will relish farm life.  Whether it’s a love of animals, a passion for gardening, an interest in sustainability and food provenance or a general lust for all things outdoors, they want to hear from anyone who thinks they’ve got what it takes to take on this lifestyle-transforming project.

The deadline for applications is 28^th April 2010.

Click here for a 'printable' MS word document flyer on the series with contact details to get an application form.

- and good luck!

Dear Friends:

Congratulations! Thank you all so much for sending your support letters to the West Hollywood City Council.Tonight, (1st February 2010) the ordinance to ban the sale of dogs & cats in pet stores (except shelter animals) passed unanimously. This law will guarantee that dogs and cats from cruel puppy/kitten mills will no longer be sold in the City of West Hollywood.

The audience was packed with supporters, and several speakers and Council members noted the historic nature of the evening. Thank you all so much for your support! We are told from the council that your quick response via the overwhelming amount of support emails led them to this unanimous vote. They received emails from not only local and state supporters but also from groups and individuals from Washington to New York and even the United Kingdom (a shout out to Border Collie Rescue-UK).

Thank you all, your activism is truly amazing.
 

We hope it may encourage you to 'get active' and help make a difference.

REPORT ON PEDIGREE DOGS RELEASED

Free Darcy Campaign

Highlighting our quarantine laws and how it can adversely affect specialist dogs working overseas

Dogs like Darcy are highly trained and save lives, both in the UK and throughout the world. The UK has a 'passports for pets' scheme which circumvents quarantine restrictions, but this is only relevant to certain countries. If a dog is not on the scheme or visits a country not participating in the scheme it will be subjected to 6 months quarantine upon re-entry to the UK. This has happened to Darcy.

Our quarantine restrictions are there for a reason - primarily to prevent the introduction of Rabies into the UK. This is a very good reason.

However, we firmly believe that there should be some sort of provision to enable dogs like Darcy to be able to assist in disasters around the world and not be subjected to our current draconian quarantine isolation upon their return. We need a different system for dogs like Darcy.

6 months is a long time in the life of a dog.

Lets put aside the emotive argument that six months in isolation, separated from the handler it has bonded with, is both unkind and cruel to a domestic companion animal like a dog. Lets also put aside the fact that it is unkind and cruel to deprive a working dog of its work and subject it to the frustration it will consequently endure while restricted in this manner.

These are the facts of quarantine and all dogs are so affected - some breeds, like the Border Collie, worse than others.

For a dog like Darcy it is 6 months where he will be unable to do the work he has been trained to do. It will be six months where his training will not be practiced or updated and when he is released from quarantine he will need to be retrained to reach his current standard.

After long and expensive training, it will be six months where Darcy - as an asset to the human race - will be wasted.

Like so many aspects of our modern society, there is little sense to this - economically or socially.

Like so many aspects of our legal system and our laws affecting animals, we have an antiquated and ill thought out quarantine law that is applied in an indiscriminate, knee jerk manner by those who enforce it. Politicians could change this.

If you - like us - feel that there should be a modification of our quarantine laws to allow dogs like Darcy to be able to work more freely around the world -saving lives - helping humans - without being subjected to an enforced 6 months quarantine on return to the UK -

SIGN THE PETITION OUTLINED BELOW

Petition information

Darcy, an Essex County Fire and Rescue Service’s search and rescue dog, will have to spend six months in quarantine after going to Indonesia to carry out life saving search and rescue work. We believe that rescue dogs should be exempt from the quarantine laws. Six months imprisonment does not seem like a fitting reward for a dog which has worked abroad to try and save lives.

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to change the UK quarantine laws to exempt search and rescue dogs which have done life saving work overseas

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/FreeDarcy/

Border Collie Elected Mayor of Rabbit Hash, Kentucky, USA.

16 candidates struggled through a long, and sometimes contentious, fight for the highly sought after and prestigious position for the 2008 term of office.  Finally, on the 5th November, Border Collie 'Lucy Lou' was elected with a majority 3489 votes over her closest rival.

Border Collie Rescue wishes Lucy Lou good fortune in her term in office. If anyone wishes to know more about this unusual and, undoubtedly, very wise Kentucky community, click on the link below and visit their website.